The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 13 Black Tower
Back in the restaurant from the second floor, Gan Guoyang washed his hands thoroughly. His mood finally calmed down, and he quickly fell asleep in bed.

The next morning, Raymond brought his "sisters" to Gan's Restaurant for a meal. This time, in addition to a steamer of dumplings, they also ordered a plate of Yangzhou fried rice.

Although their spending power is not strong, the fact that they come to eat something every day makes the restaurant less deserted.

A deserted restaurant is the most fatal flaw. Sometimes, passersby will see that there is no one in the restaurant and will be discouraged from coming in to spend money, and the business will only get worse and worse.

Around noon, the number of food delivery calls gradually increased, and Gan Guoyang became busy, delivering several orders in a row. He always made sure to bring his basketball with him whenever he went out.

"Basketball kid, what's so special about that brown thing that you love so much? There are so many other wonderful things in this world, aren't there?" Raymond asked curiously, smoking as he saw Gan Guoyang with the ball glued to his hand.

"It's nothing, I just like it," Gan Guoyang replied simply.

"You want to play in the NBA?" Raymond asked again.

"Of course," Gan Guoyang replied without hesitation.

Raymond laughed so hard that the powder on his face fell off.

"The NBA isn't a good place. It's a bunch of drug-addled black guys chasing after the ball and getting into fights along the way. If you go there, you'll get bullied, kid. There's never been an Asian in the NBA before." Raymond was full of disdain for the NBA, while looking at Gan Guoyang with caring eyes.

When Gan Guoyang arrived in the 80s, what surprised him most was that the NBA had such a bad reputation in the United States.

Looking at the propaganda of later generations, which always portrays the 80s as the golden age of the NBA, he also assumed that the NBA must be very popular in San Francisco, after all, the Warriors were right next door in Oakland.

Little did he know that most of the news he heard about the NBA was negative.

Chen Xing and Gan Guohui weren't very interested in the NBA, saying there weren't many broadcasts on TV.

Chen Xing is more interested in college basketball, while Gan Guohui claims to be a loyal UCLA fan.

Even a homeless, marginalized person like Raymond looks down on the NBA, which shows how bad the NBA's reputation is.

Raymond seemed to sense Gan Guoyang's thoughts, rolled his eyes, and said, "Although I'm not doing very well, I'm always law-abiding and I never do drugs. I'm very clean."

Upon hearing Raymond say "clean," Gan Guoyang couldn't help but laugh and pointed upstairs.

"I'm talking about myself, not my living environment! Speaking of environment, is there any clean place in this country...?"

"So if the NBA has problems, they are problems with people, not with basketball."

Raymond was speechless. At this moment, Gan Guohui called out to Gan Guoyang, saying, "Cousin! A big job has come up. You'll have to make a trip there later."

Gan Guoyang knew that the takeout business had come in. He glanced at the order and saw that it was indeed a big deal. The customer had ordered more than ten dishes. Was this a takeout treat?
It was rare to have such a large order at noon, so the kitchen staff immediately got busy, and my uncle also pitched in. More than a dozen dishes were quickly prepared and packed into a three-tiered lunchbox.

"Guoyang, is everything alright? Should we call a taxi?"

"No need, I'm strong and have good legs. Besides, taxis are too expensive."

Gan Guoyang set off carrying three layers of lunch boxes on his back, a basketball in his hand, and the guests' addresses.

"Hey, don't bring the basketball, it'll be a disaster if the lunchbox spills..."

Gan Youwei was worried that the lunchbox might tip over on the way with the ball, but Gan Guoyang had already run away in a flash.

The guest's address is in the Phillymore district and is marked "Beginning Restaurant".

Gan Guoyang wondered, "The restaurant is calling other restaurants to order food? Is the kitchen unable to cook anything?"
With doubts in mind, Gan Guoyang boarded a bus, got off at Jefferson Park, and quickly walked to his destination.

Fifteen minutes later, the restaurant entrance, which displayed the words "THE BEGINING" above the door, was closed.

Gan Guoyang checked the address repeatedly; it was indeed the right place.

He stepped forward and peered through the tinted glass door; it seemed there were people inside.

The door was suddenly opened, and Gan Guoyang was startled. He looked up and saw a broad chest in front of him, with a silver Indian wolf tooth necklace hanging on it.

Although Gan Guoyang was standing on the next step, he was over 2 meters tall. Even if an ordinary person stood on a higher step, they would at most be at eye level with Gan Guoyang.

At eye level, Gan Guoyang could only see the collar of this person; an inch above that, a half-bald, black head was already pressed against the door frame.

He had a thick beard, and a large, shiny bald patch on his forehead and top.

He had high cheekbones, a large, flat nose, and thick eyebrows, giving him a serious yet amiable appearance. His arms, peeking out from under the cuffs of his short-sleeved shirt, resembled ancient vines, entwined with powerful muscles that gleamed with a cold, steely light.

This is a giant black tower.

"I'm a deliveryman from Gan's Restaurant. Have you ordered yet?"

"Yes, come in."

The black behemoth darted in to let Gan Guoyang in, and when it saw that Gan Guoyang was holding a basketball, a look of surprise flashed across its face.

When Gan Guoyang entered The Beginning restaurant, he wondered if he had stumbled into a Mafia family meeting.

Seven or eight burly, robust men sat in the hall, their eyes fixed on Gan Guoyang, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Apart from them, there was no one else in this so-called restaurant, no waiters, no chefs, and they didn't even open for business.

"Could this be a criminal hideout?" Gan Guoyang wondered anxiously. San Francisco wasn't a very safe place, so he always had to be careful when going out.

After putting down the food box on his back, Gan Guoyang took out the dishes one by one, making sure nothing was missing or spilled. Then, he said to the burly man, "The meal and delivery fee together is $47. Thank you."

Hei Ta took out some money from his pocket and gave it to Gan Guoyang. He looked at the basketball in Gan Guoyang's hand and said, "Kid, you like playing basketball?"

Gan Guoyang nodded and said, "Yes, I will play in the NBA in the future."

Upon hearing Gan Guoyang's words, the restaurant erupted in laughter, as if he were telling a very funny joke.

Gan Guoyang rarely mentions his desire to play in the NBA to others, but in the restaurant, he sensed that this group of people might be related to basketball.

He soon noticed that there were many photos and posters of players on the restaurant walls, including the Black Tower.

He was wearing a red jersey with the number 42 on it, hands on his hips, with a physique as strong as an ox, and the jersey had CAVALIERS printed on it.

However, Gan Guoyang did not recognize him; he was probably an NBA player from the early days.

Hei Ta grinned broadly and said, "Playing in the NBA, fantastic, Kung Fu Kid! You're the tallest Chinese person I've ever seen. How old are you this year?"

"16 is old."

"16 years old, on which high school team?"

“I…I’m not on the high school team.”

Upon hearing Gan Guoyang's words, the restaurant fell silent for a second, but quickly returned to a cheerful atmosphere, and everyone laughed.

Black Tower shook his head and said, "If you can't even join a basketball team in high school, how can you expect to join a professional team?"

Gan Guoyang replied, "But I will be soon. You used to be an NBA player, right?"

Black Tower nodded, then turned to his friends and said, "This kid doesn't recognize me. Looks like my career has been a bit of a failure."

"I want to play one-on-one with you." Gan Guoyang grabbed the basketball with one hand and challenged the black tower.

"Whoahohoho! There's some arrogant brat here!"

“Nate! Tell me, this isn’t the actor you hired to play opposite you.”

"Kid, take advantage of your time now and buy yourself some insurance. This is a great opportunity for you to get rich."

The restaurant erupted in laughter, with everyone egging on the Big Black Guy and Gan Guoyang to have a bullfight.

Hei Ta shook his head at Gan Guoyang, a helpless smile on his face, and said, "Kid, even if you beat me in a one-on-one fight, you still won't make it to the NBA. Besides, don't you need to deliver food? There are other jobs waiting for you at the store; it's a very promising career."

Despite the jeers of the room full of people, Gan Guoyang's eyes remained firm as he continued, "I will definitely make it to the NBA, but now I need to know how big the gap is between me and the NBA. Come on, uncle, are you going to back down? You don't look like a coward."

Gan Guoyang's words brought the atmosphere in the room to a climax, and everyone started to cheer, urging Nate to play a game of ball with Gan Guoyang.

Nate hesitated for a moment, then said helplessly, "Okay, there's a basketball hoop in the yard. I can play a couple of games and stretch my muscles."

(End of this chapter)